[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 141 (Monday, July 23, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38285-38287]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-18288]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[Program Announcement 01152]


Expansion of HIV/AIDS/STI/TB Surveillance and Laboratory 
Activities in the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia; Notice of 
Availability of Funds

A. Purpose

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the 
availability of fiscal year (FY) 2001 funds for a cooperative agreement 
program for the expansion of communicable disease surveillance and 
laboratory activities in the Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.

[[Page 38286]]

    The purpose of this cooperative agreement is to improve human 
immunodeficiency virus/Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome/other 
sexually transmitted infections/tuberculosis (HIV/AIDS/STI/TB) 
surveillance and to improve laboratory capacity to assist in the 
diagnosis of these and other diseases related to HIV infection and 
transmission in Ethiopia. This will be accomplished by cooperation 
between CDC and the Ethiopian Health and Nutrition Research Institute 
(EHNRI) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. These collaborative activities could 
profoundly change the focus and activities of the Ethiopian National 
AIDS Policy. Most importantly, having a better understanding of the 
association between specific behaviors and HIV/STI/TB prevalence will 
likely improve AIDS control programs and prevention efforts in Ethiopia 
and eventually throughout sub-Saharan Africa.
    The U.S. Government seeks to reduce the impact of HIV/AIDS in 
specific countries within sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and the Americas 
through its Leadership and Investment in Fighting an Epidemic (LIFE) 
initiative. Through this LIFE program, CDC has initiated its Global 
AIDS Program (GAP) to strengthen capacity and expand activities in the 
areas of (1) HIV primary prevention; (2) HIV care, support, and 
treatment; and (3) capacity and infrastructure development, especially 
for surveillance. Targeted countries represent those with the most 
severe epidemics and the highest number of new infections. They also 
represent countries where the potential for impact is greatest and 
where U.S. Government agencies are already active. Ethiopia is one of 
these targeted countries.
    As a key partner in the U.S. Government's LIFE initiative, CDC is 
working in a collaborative manner with national governments and other 
agencies to develop programs of assistance to address the HIV/AIDS 
epidemic in LIFE initiative countries. In particular, CDC's mission in 
Ethiopia is to work with Ethiopian and international partners to 
develop and apply effective interventions to prevent HIV infection and 
associated illness and death from AIDS.
    Ethiopia is among the world's countries most adversely affected by 
the HIV/AIDS epidemic and TB. With an estimated 3 million adults 
infected with HIV by end of 1999, Ethiopia has the third largest 
population of HIV-infected persons in the world, accounting for about 9 
percent of the world's HIV/AIDS cases. The estimated percent of adults 
aged 15 to 49 infected with HIV is 10.6 percent, making Ethiopia 
sixteenth in the world in HIV prevalence. There have been over a 
million cumulative deaths due to AIDS, with 280,000 occurring in 1999 
alone. UNAIDS estimated that 150,000 children are currently living with 
HIV and that 1.2 million children have been orphaned by AIDS, making 
Ethiopia third in the number of HIV orphans in the world. The principal 
routes of HIV transmission are heterosexual and mother-to-infant; HIV 
and other STIs are closely associated. WHO estimated a TB incidence 
rate of 260 per 100,000, prevalence rate of 367 per 100,000 and death 
rate of 82 per 100,000 for Ethiopia in 1997. This represents 156,000 
new cases, 221,000 infections and 49,000 deaths for that year. TB cases 
have been increasing over the years coincident with HIV epidemic; HIV 
prevalence among TB patients is estimated at 40-50 percent. Data on 
STIs, however, are scant. These statistics suggest the need for the 
expansion and improvement of a range of surveillance, care, and 
prevention activities and services.
    Accurate surveillance, as the mainstay of public health programs, 
provides essential information to focus prevention activities, allocate 
resources, and monitor effectiveness of programs. Improvement in 
laboratory capacity to assist in the diagnoses of these and other 
diseases related to HIV infection and transmission is essential to the 
HIV/AIDS prevention and control efforts of the Ethiopian people.

B. Eligible Applicants

    Assistance will be provided only to the Ethiopian Health and 
Nutrition Research Institute (EHNRI), a government entity. No other 
applications are solicited.
    EHNRI is the only appropriate and qualified organization to conduct 
a specific set of activities supportive of the CDC Global AIDS 
Program's technical assistance to Ethiopia because:
    1. EHNRI is uniquely positioned, in terms of legal authority, 
ability, and credibility among Ethiopian citizens, to collect crucial 
data on HIV/AIDS prevalence and incidence, as well as other health 
information, among Ethiopian citizens.
    2. EHNRI already has established mechanisms to access health 
information, enabling it to immediately become engaged in the 
activities listed in this announcement.
    3. The purpose of the announcement is to build upon the existing 
framework of health information and activities that EHNRI itself has 
collected or initiated.
    4. EHNRI has been mandated functionally by the Ethiopian government 
to serve as the National Reference Laboratory for HIV/STIs/TB, and to 
coordinate and implement laboratory diagnostic and quality assurance 
activities related to these diseases including supporting regional 
laboratories.

C. Availability of Funds

    Approximately $500,000 is available in FY 2001 to fund this award. 
It is expected that the award will begin on or about September 30, 2001 
and will be made for a 12-month budget period within a project period 
of up to five years. Annual funding estimates may change.
    Continuation awards within the approved project period will be made 
on the basis of satisfactory progress as evidenced by required reports 
and the availability of funds.
    All requests for funds, including the budget contained in the 
application, shall be stated in U.S. dollars. Once an award is made, 
the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) will not compensate 
foreign grantees for currency exchange fluctuations through the 
issuance of supplemental awards.

Use of Funds

    Funds received from this announcement will not be used for the 
purchase of antiretroviral drugs for treatment of established HIV 
infection (with the exception nevirapine in PMTCT cases and with prior 
written approval), occupational exposures, and non-occupational 
exposures and will not be used for the purchase of machines and 
reagents to conduct the necessary laboratory monitoring for patient 
care.
    No funds under this announcement shall be used to carry out any 
program of distributing sterile needles or syringes for the hypodermic 
injection of any illegal drug.
    Applicants may contract with other organizations under these 
cooperative agreements, however, applicants must perform a substantial 
portion of the activities (including program management and operations 
and delivery of prevention services) for which funds are requested.
    The costs that are generally allowable in grants to domestic 
organizations are likewise allowable to foreign institutions and 
international organizations, with the following exception:
    Indirect Costs: With the exception of the American University, 
Beirut, the Gorgas Memorial Institute, and the World Health 
Organization, indirect costs will not be paid (either directly or 
through a sub-award) to organizations

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located outside the territorial limits of the United States or to 
international organizations regardless of their location.

D. Where to Obtain Additional Information

    This and other CDC announcements can be found on the CDC home page 
Internet address--http://www.cdc.gov. Click on ``Funding'' then 
``Grants and Cooperative Agreements.''
    To obtain business management technical assistance, contact: 
Dorimar Rosado, Grants Management Specialist Grants Management Branch, 
Procurement and Grants Office Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention 2920 Brandywine Road, Room 3000 MS-15 Atlanta, GA 30341-
4146, Telephone number: (770) 488-2782, e-mail: [email protected]
    For program technical assistance, contact: Tadesse Wuhib, MD, MPH 
CDC Ethiopia, U.S. Embassy, P.O. Box 1014, Entoto Road, Addis Ababa, 
Ethiopia, Telephone: 251-9-22-00-84 e-mail: [email protected]

    Dated: July 17, 2001.
John L. Williams,
Director, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease and 
Prevention (CDC).
[FR Doc. 01-18288 Filed 7-20-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P